Harry t



(No Model.)

H. V. PADFIBLD.

CLOTHES TONGS.

No. 584,237. Patented June 8, 1897.

ient position and is intended to strengthen HARRY V. PADFIELD, OF ST. LOUIS,

Erica.

PATENT MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ()NE-HALF TO JOSEPH W. LITTLER, OF SAME PLACE.

CLOTHES-TONGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 584,237, dated June 8, 1897.

Application filed January 11. l 8 9 7.

To (1,15 whom, may concern:

Be it known that l, HARRY V. PADFIELD, of the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clothes-'longs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to clothes-tongs; and it consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter shown, described, and claimed.

Figure 1 is a view in perspective, showing the construction and illustrating the use of clothes-tongs constructed in accordance with the principles of my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the clothes-tongs shown in Fig. 1, parts being broken away to economize space. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a View in perspective of a rectangular metallic collar of which I make use.

In the construction of clothes-tongs in accordance with the principles of my invention I employ the bar or lever 5, which is substantially straight throughout its entire length.

The square or rectangularnietallic collar 6 is placed tightly upon the bar 5 at a convensaid bar. The collar 6 consists of a square or rectangular box having the longitudinally extending and alined slots 7 formed in its top and bottom sides,and the horizontally-aimed circular openings 8 formed through its vertical sides and approximately at its center. A slot is formed through the bar 5 corresponding to the slot 7, formed through the collar 6.

A Z-shaped metallic bar 9 is passed through the slots 7 in the collar 6 and through the corresponding slot in the bar 5, and is held pivotally in position by means of the rivet 10, passing through the opening 8 of the collar 6 and through the center of said bar 9.

The bar 11 is bifurcated at its front end, and the upper end 12 of the bar 9 is placed in the slot forming the bifurcation of said bar 11 and is held securely in position by means of the rivet-s 13. The bar 14 is bifurcated at its rear end and is connected to the lower end Serial No. 618,876. (No model.)

15 of the bar 9 by means of the rivets 1G. The front end 17 of the bar and the bar 14 form the jaws of the tongs, and the rear end 18 of the bar 5 and the bar 11 form the handles for operating said jaws.

In the practical operation of the device the handles are manually operated. The jaws 14 and 17 are inserted into the boiler or other receptacle containing the clothes and are operated to grip the clothes, as shown in Fig. 1, and when the clothes are elevated to a posisition upon a level with the handles or above a level with said handles the water from the clothes will run down the jaw 17 to the pivot 10 and then down the bar I) to the rear end of the jaw 14, and water will also run down said jaw 14 to said rear end, from whence it will drop into the boiler or other receptacle and will not run down the bars 5 and 11 to the hands of the operator.

.Clothestongs constructed in accordance with the principles herein shown and de scribed are very economical and veryefiicient and satisfactory in operation.

Especial attention is called to the fact that when the tongs are closed the jaws lat and 17 meet at their free ends and thus form a triangular opening between said jaws and in front of the bar 9, as shown in Fig. 2. In this way the clothes may be held in said triangular opening without being tightly gripped.

I claim In a device of the class described, the straight bar 5, the rectangular box-shaped collar 6 mounted upon said bar 5, said collar having the elongated slot 7 in opposite sides and there being a slot through said bar 5 corresponding to the slot 7, the Z-shaped bar 9 inserted through said slots 7 and through said bar 5 and pivotally connected to said bar 5 by means of a rivet or bolt extending through said bar 5 and through said Z-shaped bar 9 at approximately the center of said bar 9, the bar 11 attached to the upper end 12 of said Z-shaped bar 9, the bar 14 attached to the lower end 15 of said Z-shaped bar 9, the bars 11 and 14: being arranged at such angles relative to each other that when the bar 11 is in a plane parallel with the bar 5, the free In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HARRY V. PADFIELD.

\Vitnesses:

MAUD GRIFFIN, S. G. WILLS. 

